Gosselin: Paul George incident will have sobering effect on NBA

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Glenn Pinkerton/AP

In this photo provided by the Las Vegas News Bureau, Indiana Pacers' Paul George is carted off the court after breaking his right leg during the USA Basketball Showcase intrasquad game in Las Vegas on Friday, Aug. 1, 2014. (AP Photo/Las Vegas News Bureau, Glenn Pinkerton)

SportsDay columnist Rick "Goose" Gosselin hosted a chat Monday morning to talk everything sports. Here are some of the highlights:

Question: Do you agree with Mark Cuban about the NBA and the Olympics? I kind of think he has them pegged, about skimming the money off the top and leaving the host cities bankrupt after it is all over.

Gosselin: I long for the days when the Olympics were about amateur athletes. I can go to an NBA game if I want to see the best pros. I can go to an NHL game if I want to see the best pros. If the Olympics would just return to the days when amateurs played, we wouldn't be having these issues. I agree with Cuban that the Olympics siphon a lot of money out of a city's coffers -- but any event is going to be expensive. The Super Bowl is expensive. The World Cup is expensive. Cost is weighed against the prestige of hosting the event.

Question: The NBA draft is over. The big free agent signings are pretty much done. Now, isn't it time for the unhappy players to start bellyachin' and demanding a trade? And doesn't that mean the Mavs should not be overlooking the Rockets, who love to trade?

Gosselin: When you're an eighth seed, you can't be overlooking anybody. The Rockets still have a younger, more dynamic one-two punch than the Mavericks in Howard and Harden. And you're right -- I don't think all the roster shuffling is done quite yet. I think the Mavericks will be better this winter and I think they can climb into the fourth-through-sixth seed range. Houston will have to be one of the teams they climb over.

Question: Mark Cuban wants NBA players out of the Olympics, what do you see as the future of international basketball in a post Paul George world?

Gosselin: I think the George incident will have a sobering effect on the NBA. In the near future I see the NBA and NHL, for that matter, pulling back on its players. They are professionals. Their focus should be on the pro game -- staying healthy and productive under contract. Give amateur sports back to the amateurs.

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